The True Story of the Whole World

This is the first in a series of posts related to a class I’ve taught.

Every person in the world lives out of some story that gives meaning to their life. It may be a story of ever increasing human acheivement through science and technology. Or, it may be a story of survival under crushing domination by a government or people group. These stories might support a life or even generations of lives. But this a very big and very old world. It is also a world with a very uncertain future. Ultimately, the question needs to be answered, “Is there a true story of the whole world in which I am called to live my life?”

For many Christians, the Bible tells a disconnected story of Old Testament versus New Testament. There’s creation, all that stuff about the Jews, and what appears to be a pretty angry and harsh God. Then Jesus shows up, seemingly makes God happy again, and creates a way for people to go to heaven when they die. Oh, and there is all that crazy stuff that happens in Revelations too. Consequently, the Bible has become a jumbled mess of verses and stories. Without a central narrative pulling it all together, many people have developed a nasty disease that my friend Winn Griffin calls “versitis”. Instead of feasting at the grand banquet of God’s story, the Bible is atomized into spiritual appetizers that provide little nourishment.

Next time…more about God’s story and how it might answer some very basic human questions…